Fourteen Days
by Wendy McCalister
Summary: Trying to forget his former life, Kurama decided to move into an old apartment to start a new one. Everything seemed perfect... except for the fact no one has lived there for more than fourteen days
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

 **Summary: Trying to forget his former life, Kurama decided to move into an old apartment to start a new one. Everything seemed perfect... except for the fact no one has lived there for more than fourteen days.**

 **Fourteen Days**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Day 1_

Kurama grunted as he lifted his big, brown and heavy bag. It wasn't much, but it contained everything he needed. He didn't take all the stuff he had, as they weren't all necessary. And he'd been in a hurry to leave his old house.

The redhead expelled a deep sigh, before darting his eyes towards the number written on the wooden door in front of him.

Room 103.

This was it, Kurama thought, his new apartment. He had to start life from scratch, but he figured it wouldn't be so bad. No one there seemed to know who he was, and he was all by himself.

Perfect.

If he had been with his beloved mother, Kurama would've been reprimanded for thinking in such a way, but after she passed away, he realized he couldn't bear staying at his old house anymore. It brought too many painful memories. So he moved out. Decided to start a new life at a new place. The apartment was old, but he would settle just fine with it.

Taking a deep breath, Kurama extended a hand out, and opened the door. He took in everything he could see from outside the door, noted a few spider webs and debris here and there. But, nothing else seemed to be a problem. The place just needed some decorations, a few fixing here and there and a bit of cleaning, and it would be brand new.

Entering, Kurama closed the door behind him, and proceeded to put down his bag. The heavy material making a loud 'thud' sound as it landed on the dirty floor.

Well, time to unpack.

* * *

"Hey, you're the new guy who moved into Room 103, right?"

An unfamiliar voice reached his ears, and Kurama turned around in his seat to stare at the owner with a look of displeasure on his face. He had been eating. And he didn't like people disturbing him when he was eating.

"Yes," he answered dryly, before going back to his food.

The stranger, a boy with black hair slicked back with gel and brown eyes, took a seat beside him at the table. He grinned at the redhead, ignoring the glare he received in return.

"I'm Yusuke Urameshi. What's your name?" he asked in a friendly voice, as he split his chopsticks and started to devour his ramen.

Kurama's glare slightly intensified as he watched the other male sloppily eat his food. "Shuichi. Shuichi Minamino," he replied anyway.

"Shuichi?" Yusuke echoed, testing the name with his tongue. "Sounds like a little boy's name to me. You've got another name? Like a nickname or something?"

"No," Kurama lied.

Yusuke didn't believe him, not buying his lie. "Yes," he answered for the redhead, grinning as Kurama gave him a heated stare.

"What is it?" he questioned, despite the less than friendly look Kurama sported on his features.

"It's Kurama."

"Kurama, eh? Now that sounds a lot better, if not a little weird," Yusuke remarked, a laugh erupting from his throat. "How did you get that nickname anyway? Sounds like a far cry from Shuichi."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Long story," he responded curtly, his answer brief.

"Oh yeah?" A black eyebrow was raised his way in a questioning manner. "How about the reason you moved into that apartment? Is that a long story too?" Yusuke bombarded him with more inquiries.

Kurama inwardly groaned in frustration, getting slightly irritated. This guy didn't even know him that much, yet he was asking him a lot of question. Kurama never liked nosy people, but he made no move to tell the other male how he was invading his privacy.

"Long story," he answered simply, sending a warning glance at Yusuke to silently tell him not to speak again. Yusuke noticed the look, understood the message, but didn't acknowledge it.

"Okay. I'm not gonna ask you anything else, so don't worry, I'll be out of your hair soon." Yusuke grinned toothily when Kurama blushed red in embarrassment. He hadn't thought his annoyance was that obvious.

"But, I'm just gonna warn you about something," Yusuke went on, the grin wavering from his face, replaced by a serious look. Kurama's eyebrows shot up in curiousity, but the redhead didn't prod him about what he meant, and waited for the other male to elaborate.

He did. "No one has ever lived there for more than fourteen days, and shit hit the fan a lot of times before. To be honest, I dunno what's up with that room, but I know there's something going on." Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "Be careful, Kurama."

A small appreciative but disbelieving smile tugged at Kurama's lips. That was probably just a rumor, and nothing more. But, he didn't bother to tell Yusuke he didn't believe him and instead politely said, "Thank you, Yusuke, but I'll be fine."

Yusuke seemed to notice the redhead's distrust towards his words, but resisted the urge to convince him otherwise. Kurama would probably get angry if he insisted he was right, so maybe he should leave him alone. For now. Besides, he was already running late for his date with Keiko as it is, and he didn't want to face his girlfriend's wrath. He shivered at the thought.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm gonna go now," Yusuke said abruptly, and stood up from his chair. He cast the redhead a worried glance before excusing himself.

"Just now that you can come to me in case you're in trouble or something," he managed to add before leaving Kurama, waving his hand at the redhead as he bid him farewell. "See ya!"

Kurama just smiled weakly, but he waved back anyway. Yusuke was a strange one, he couldn't help but think.

Why would he need any help?

* * *

Kurama turned off the night lamp as he slid into the safety of his sheets. He glanced briefly at the clock: 9:30 p.m. He was going to bed a lot earlier than he usually would, but he was very exhausted after a tiring day of cleaning his new apartment.

Kurama expelled a contented sigh as he brought the sheets to his chin. After adjusting to a more comfortable position, the redhead closed his eyes to sleep. But, as a few more minutes passed, he realized he couldn't, and opened his eyes again. He wasn't entirely sure why, he never had any difficulty in sleeping, especially when he was tired. Perhaps he was still not used to his new place? Maybe.

Eyes drifting close again, Kurama tried to get to sleep. But to no avail. He let out n exasperated groan, and was about to slide the sheets off of him to get up from the bed... when he suddenly felt another presence beside him. Lying next to him in the bed. Watching him. It felt as if there was someone else in the room.

He frowned deeply at the uncomfortable feeling, cold sweat starting to bead his forehead and his back, dampening his blue pajamas.

He was frightened.

Kurama heard some shuffling, as if someone was getting ready for bed. His heart started to beat faster in his chest, fear taking over his senses. What was going on? Was he imagining this?

As soon as he thought that, he felt the presence standing up from the bed. A giggle sounded throughout the room, reached his ears, and making him tremble in fear. The eerie sound was followed by footsteps echoing in his room, running towards the door. It opened and closed, as if someone had left the room.

The redhead expelled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. With shaky hands as cold as ice, Kurama removed the covers from his body and proceeded to fix his gaze on the door. He stared at it for a while, as if waiting for something to barge in. A few moments passed, but nothing happened. Soon, he was convinced that he had probably imagined it. Perhaps he was letting Yusuke's words get to him too much. Or maybe he was just sleepy, therefore, he was imagining things that weren't there.

Choosing the latter, Kurama heaved another sigh, before bringing the covers back to his chin. His eyes slowly closed, and he drifted into the land of dreams.

Unaware of a white silhouette standing at the door. Staring at him with red eyes. A creepy grin spread on its face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

 **Summary: Trying to forget his former life, Kurama decided to move into an old apartment to start a new one. Everything seemed perfect... except for the fact no one has lived there for more than fourteen days.**

 **Fourteen Days**

 **Chapter 2**

 _Day 2_

The alarm suddenly rang, abruptly snapping Kurama out of his dream. Groaning, the redhead reached a hand absent-mindedly to turn the blasted thing off. He stayed still as the annoying noise faded, only the sound of the ticking clock was heard in the room. Moments seemed like ages before he finally lifted his upper body from the bed, propping himself up on his elbows as he spared a glance at the clock. 8:00 a.m.

At the reminder that he was supposed to meet up with Hiei an hour later, Kurama lazily got off the bed. He paused for a moment as his feet landed on the floor, and fixed his gaze somewhere at the door. Last nights memories flooded into his head, making goosebumps appear, but he quickly shrugged the thoughts off. He really needed to stop hallucinating.

Kurama slowly took off his clothes, and proceeded to grab his towel from inside the cupboard.

And he also needed a shower. A cold one.

* * *

Kurama looked up as the sound of the doorbell chiming greeted his ears. He wondered who it was who was at the door at this time of day. Then, buttoning one last button of his white shirt, the redhead strolled outside his room and for the door, hair still soaked from the bath he took earlier.

Upon opening the door, Kurama almost jumped back in surprise at the unexpected visitor. The shock died down a second after though, and he cast a brief glance at the couple of bags the young woman held in each of her hands. More like, _permanent_ visitor.

"What are you doing here?" Kurama asked, as he whipped around and walked towards the couch, taking a seat there as he reached it. He watched her place her bags on the floor.

"Hey, it's been a long time seeing you two," her voice said sarcastically. Amethyst orbs locked with his emerald ones, and he quicky looked away, whilst pondering why she was here.

Although Botan was his girlfriend, they'd been having a lot of... arguments lately, so he found it difficult to understand her true purpose of coming up to his apartment. Wasn't she the one who told him to stay away?

"I'm going to stay with you," she went on when he was unresponsive, taking a seat right beside him.

"Why?"

"Because Shiori... she... well, after her death, you haven't been quite yourself. And I thought you needed someone close to you by your side at a critical time like this."

A pause. "I think I can take care of myself, Botan."

"Kurama, please don't be stubborn," she pleaded, staring into his eyes, almost begging, "I know you're not okay. Stop trying to keep everything all bottled up."

Kurama pursed his lips. She could always read through him. Then again, he thought, that was one of the reasons he loved her.

"You keep everything bottled up too, perhaps even more so than I do," he countered.

"Maybe... but that's all the more reason for me to stay. You need me, and I need you. I..." Her hand reached to touch his. "I miss you..."

He sighed deeply at the contact. "I miss you too, Botan... but are you sure? Staying here—"

"Yes, I'm sure."

The redhead paused, seeming to consider before heaving a defeated sigh. "... Okay, if you say so."

Botan perked up, the action brightening her soft features. "Great!" she beamed, overjoyed, before standing up from the couch and dusting off her skirt. She gave him a warm smile. "Let me just put my stuff in your room... Oh, wait, I guess since we're living together now, that makes it our room... So anyway, let me just put my stuff in our room, then I'll get right back to you."

She then bent down to give him a gentle peck at the cheek, causing Kurama to blush. He was never used to the attention he earned from her. Not to say he didn't like it though.

Kurama lazily smiled back. "Right. Go ahead. It's at the end of the hallway," he called after her as she gleefully sauntered her way to his room.

The girl halted in her tracks, turning around to face him. A giggle left her. "Okay dokie!" she said in a child like manner, playfully saluting at him. Kurama's laugh followed after her as she strolled into the hallway.

He shook his head, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips. The smile wavered though as he thought of his decision to let her stay. Was it the right thing to do? Kurama didn't quite understand it himself, but he felt a rather unnerving gut feeling about this place...

His musings were cut short when a thud suddenly reached his ears. He rotated his head to the right to the source of the sound, blinking at the small picture frame on the floor, apparently it had fallen from the desk.

Standing up, Kurama walked towards it, and bent down to pick it up. He stared at it; it was a picture of him and Botan... and the glass on the picture frame had a little crack on it. He wondered for a moment if Botan brought it here, before gently dusting off the dirt on the picture frame, and putting it back on the desk.

As he was about to push himself off the floor, Kurama felt a warm breath at his neck. It smelled terrible, like rotting flesh and the redhead swiftly covered his nose, brows furrowing in discomfort. Still, it made his blood run cold, and froze him on the spot. A giggle, that was very much like a child's, sounded against his ear. Eerie. Creepy. Freaked out, Kurama instantly whipped around—

But there was no one.

The hand on his nose felled limply to his side, as he stared at the wall, at where he thought there was a person there. His heart was still beating hard and fast against his chest until a few long moments passed, before slowing down. With trembling legs, Kurama shakily stood up from the floor. By then, Botan had already entered the living room, blinking in confusion as to why he was breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, immediately running up to him. He felt a rush of relief at her presence, and slowly, nodded his head. "You sure?"

"... Yeah." He paused, wondering what the hell happened back there. "I was probably imagining things again..." he murmured to himself, but Botan heard him quite clearly.

"Again?" she echoed, prodding.

He didn't answer, and instead, "I'm going to Hiei's. I promised to see him today," he informed her.

"Can I come with?" came her inquiry. Her voice was soft, and Kurama could tell she was still concerned about him.

He smiled weakly at her. "Sure, love. Just don't take too long," he complied.

The corners of Botan's lips curled upwards into a bright grin, revealing her pearl white teeth. Obviously, she was pleased. He rarely let her come along when it came to Hiei, as he was worried that Hiei would offend her, and she, annoy him. To put it simply, nothing good ever came whenever his girlfriend and best friend were in the same room. Nonetheless, it worried him more to leave her alone here, at the creepy apartment.

"I won't. Just gonna grab my purse," the young girl reached for her purse that was at the floor, seated nearly the couch, "and we're done," she finished, dangling the purse at him. Kurama smiled, nodded his head and went to the door. He opened it, only to stop and stare at her when he noticed her eyes were fixed at the corner of the wall.

He frowned deeply. "What's wrong?"

Kurama's voice broke Botan out of her reverie, and she turned to peer at him with a blank look. "Huh? Oh... I thought I heard something coming from over there..."

Just as she mumbled the words, a ball came rolling out from the corner of the wall, the sound attracting the couple's attentions. The two watched it continue to roll across the floor, before stopping abruptly as it hit the couch.

"Where did that come from?" Botan wondered loudly, making to walk towards the ball so she could examine it, only to be stopped by Kurama.

"Leave it there," he told her, voice stern. She lifted her gaze to look at him, surprised at the serious expression on his features.

"Why? I'm just going to look at it for a mo—"

"Just leave it there, Botan," Kurama almost roared angrily, causing the girl to flinch. The redhead seemed to notice the fear in her eyes, and immediately told himself to calm down. As he regained his composure, he tried to ignore the chills that went down his spine. Suddenly the room felt cold. "We're already in a hurry as it is," he added, making up an excuse.

Botan seemingly relaxed, and nodded her head in agreement. "Okay..." she mumbled, rubbing her forearms. Why was it chilly all of a sudden? The hairs at the back of her neck raised, and she hurriedly jogged for the door.

When they were out of the apartment, Kurama quickly closed the door, not forgetting to lock it. The couple then walked off, but as they reached the stairs, Botan spared a brief glance at the apartment door.

She wondered what could've made that ball roll off on its own.

* * *

"Why're you looking so pale, Kurama?" was Hiei's question as he and Botan finally reached his place. The short male stared weirdly at his friend. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kurama didn't bother to answer him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

 **Summary: Trying to forget his former life, Kurama decided to move into an old apartment to start a new one. Everything seemed perfect... except for the fact no one has lived there for more than fourteen days.**

 **Fourteen Days**

 **Chapter 3**

 _Day 3_

 _A loud ear-piercing shriek..._

 _Blood-stained hands holding a sharp knife..._

 _A loud thud as her body felled on the cold floor..._

 ** _His mother's wide horror-filled eyes staring back at him._**

Kurama's eyes shot open, alarmed. He swiftly lifted his body from the bed, heart beating loudly and fast in his chest. Emerald orbs stared at the wall, until a few moments later, he finally realized it was just a dream. It was all just a dream. _A dream of the past_. Kurama raked a trembling hand through his red strands, panting heavily and covered with sweat. He took a few deep, calming breaths until his heart finally and gradually slowed down. He glanced outside the window, and realized it was morning.

"What's wrong?" Botan's sleepy voice spoke from beside him, startling the redhead.

Kurama turned to look at her, a brief look of regret reflected in his eyes at the worried expression on his lover's features.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" he asked, instead of answering. He extended a hand to lightly brush his fingers against her smooth cheek, the girl nuzzling her nose into his palm, as if desiring more of his touch and his warmth. Nonetheless, her blue brows furrowed in what he could only assume as concern.

"What happened? You're all sweaty," she said quietly, and that was when she realized his hand was trembling. Her tender hand quickly reached to touch his, running soothing fingers along the back of his hand. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I..." Kurama paused, wondering if he should tell her. He trusted Botan more than anything, but he didn't want to worry her over something so silly. "It's nothing," he finished, bluffing, and pulled his hand out of Botan's comforting grasp.

A sad smile crossed her face. "Liar," she said, voice firm yet gentle. "Please don't lie. I don't like it when you do that." Her smile faltered slightly; and her amethyst orbs seemed to water. "It makes me feel like you don't trust me. And that you're trying to carry all the burden to yourself. I... I don't want that." She looked down at her hands, trying to avoid his scrutinizing gaze, lest he figured out she was on the verge of crying. "I... I want to support you," Her voice cracked at the last sentence.

She didn't know why she was being so upsetting; it was probably nothing. Still, she could always tell when there was something wrong with him. She hated how he would always try to hide things from her: didn't he know that his sorrow was also hers? If he was sad, then she was sad.

"I'm sorry, love," Kurama told her in a soft voice, reaching to touch her hand and maneuvering his fingers to twine with hers. "I-I didn't mean to cause you any sorrow. It's just... it was a dream. A nightmare. I dreamt of that... that man..." His hand started to shake, and Botan quickly placed her free one on top of it, squeezing lightly, in hope to at least offer him some comfort. She succeeded, as she felt him relax.

Kurama inwardly sighed in relief over the fact that she was with him. "I-I dreamt of that horrible man... of his sin towards mother... I-I..." He stopped a moment to take a deep breath. "I-I keep repeating that moment when he s-stabbed her..."

"He is a brute! A bastard!" Botan hissed, surprising Kurama and even herself. "You shouldn't be thinking too much about him. You're stressed, that's why." She seemed to calm down a little. A loving smile curled at the corners of her lips, touching her eyes with a tint of warmth. "It's not your fault, it never is. Remember that," and with that, she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Featherlike. Brief. _Comforting_.

Kurama couldn't help the contented sigh that escaped him; at least, he still had her. He nuzzled his nose into her palm, as in a token of gratitude. It would never be enough to show how thankful he was to have her as a girlfriend, he knew, but he loved the girlish giggle that erupted from her throat at the simple action.

"I'm going to take a shower," Botan informed him, breaking into a wide grin when he whined as she pulled her hand away. "Be a good boy, and wait for me, okay?" she joked playfully, touching his nose, which scrunched up childishly at the contact. Another giggle left her.

Emerald eyes eyed her as she stood up from the bed, sauntering for the door. Just as she opened it, she looked behind her shoulder, a mischievous grin spread on her charming features.

"Unless you want to join me?" she invited. Kurama shook his head, but laughed; it wouldn't be just a bath if he ended up taking it with her.

"Just kidding!" Botan chidishly told him, seeming to understand what he was thinking and jumping out the room. She started to close the door, not forgetting to send him a teasing wink. Kurama's soft chuckle followed her as she left.

* * *

Botan turned on the shower, a contented sigh leaving her lips as the hot water trickled down her bare body. She washed her face with it, giggling a little. Then, she reached a hand out for the soap, humming a tune of a song she had heard somewhere.

As she finished washing her body, the blue haired girl went for her hair. Botan's eyes darted around until she found what she was looking for; there, on the stool beside her, was Kurama's shampoo. Rose-scented. She always liked to borrow it, and he never favored to use other shampoos, both for the reasons that he knew she was fond of it, and that he rather enjoyed the sweet smell.

Botan squirted some of the contents out, a pink gooey liquid landing into the palm of her hand. She smiled, and started to wash her hair until foam started to form on her blue strands. She buried her head into the shower, trying to wash the shampoo off... but that was when she realized that the water was suddenly too hot.

A pained gasp escaped her, as she stumbled back, landing abruptly on the floor and knocking over the shampoo. It almost felt as if her skin was on fire the moment the water touched her. She was starting to panic: why did it suddenly become too hot? She didn't accidentally turn up the temperature, did she? She didn't think so.

Still, it couldn't be left just like that. Botan realized she had to turn the shower off. Gulping nervously, she slowly stood up from the floor, shrieking when she almost slipped but managed to catch her feet. She reached for the shower, with shaky hands, scared that the water might burn her skin. She was about to turn it off when...

The water suddenly changed; turning black, and slimy. Botan screamed loudly, staggering back until her back was pressed against the wall. She stared wide-eyed at it, flinching when some of the disgusting liquid almost came into contact with her toes. What was going on? What was happening?!

That was when a weird and abrupt noise interrupted her musings, causing her to look up. Her eyes widened in horror at what greeted her sight; there, on the ceiling, was a small girl. Her hair covered half of her face, but Botan could see her red, blood-shot eyes. Her head wasn't where it was supposed to be; it was placed behind her - at her back. Reversed.

A loud, blood curling scream sounded in the bathroom, which Botan was sure reached the whole apartment. She turned away from the horrific creature, putting her hands on the doorknob and trying to pry the door open. Still, it wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pushed or pulled. Boran was starting to panic, fear taking over her senses. Tears stung at the back of her eyes; distantly, she could hear the sound of bones cracking coming from behind her and did not dare to turn around.

"Kurama! Kurama!" she screamed bloody murder, slamming her fists on the door. Please, please...

She heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside the bathroom, as if someone was running. A rush of relief overcame her, as she realized that was Kurama. Botan backed away slightly when the door slammed open, Kurama rushing in, alarmed.

"Botan? W-what's wrong?" he inquired worriedly when he noticed she was crying. Botan didn't answer him at once, and quickly enveloped him in a tight embrace. She cried into his chest, loud sobbings escaping her.

"Love? Tell me what's the matter," Kurama spoke, voice soft as he draw soothing circles on Botan's back. The girl pulled away to point at the ceiling, but she didn't fix her gaze on whatever she was pointing at.

Kurama followed her finger, furrowing his brows when he saw nothing. "Botan, I don't see anything."

At his words, Botan swiftly fixated her eyes on where the little girl was supposed to be at. But true enough, there was nothing there. Only the ceiling. She stared at it in disbelieve: what? This can't be happening.

"Y-you have to believe me, Kurama!" Botan turned to her lover, voice shaky and desperate at the same time. "T-there was a little girl there... a-a little girl... her eyes were red... a-and her head was turned the other way... i-it was..."

Kurama cut her off. "Botan, dear, there's nothing there. See?" He pointed at the ceiling, Botan continued to stare at it with a confused and terrified look. The redhead grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face him. His expression was serious as he said, "There's _nothing_ there, Botan." His voice was firm, but it became gentle as the next sentence passed his lips, "You're going to be alright. You probably just imagined it."

Botan wanted to say how could she have imagined a spooky little girl, but decided not to. She wished she could believe that everything would be okay, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with this place.

Or was it really just her imagination?

 **Really?**


End file.
